Posted on 01/30/2010 2:23:27 PM PST by big black dog
Like Frank and many others who are Right-oriented and just want to get on with our lives without bureaucrats making life more troublesome, I supported Ron Paul's cause for the American presidency. I still do, kind of. Ron Paul's campaign was simply amazing, but then it quickly regressed into pure conspiratorial extremism. Today only his dogmatic fans listen to what he's got to say. What happened?
Ron PaulRon Paul's world view is a Conservative libertarian critique of all forms of organized authority. This led him to become a strong critic of globalism. Many of us signed up for it--who wants commerce to become a religion? The problem was that Ron Paul's grass roots gradually transformed into anti-globalists with a totally different agenda. Alex Jones became a frequent interviewer, the 9/11 Truth movement took interest in him, and Israel critics followed his campaign. If you're an alienated candidate like Ron Paul, you try to consolidate whatever agreements you have with other alienated groups. Bad idea, Ron.
Bad, because looking back in the mirror, what became of it? Conspiracy theories melted with extreme anarchism, and occasionally, anti-Semitism. His fans spammed YouTube with insane ideas about the Bush Administration planning 9/11 (since long debunked by scientists), evil capitalists plotting to take over the world and kill off millions of people (I wish), and perhaps most controversially, how all of this tied in with Israel and Jews. Maybe Half-Sigma did have a point about Ron Paul being an anti-Semite, after all.
After Ron Paul's campaign became more and more centered around these topics, it was clear that the conspiratorial element had become dominant. It alienated common people who just believed in the Constitution or wanted a thin government installed, and it drew lots of crazy young people whose only political message was that America and Israel are evil and "true" capitalism will solve all problems. Ron Paul became a symbol for marginalized extremism made mainstream. For this he probably served an important purpose, but it also was a major factor in the end of his career. Ron Paul is still one of the sanest political leaders in America right now, but due to his involvement with these groups, it's questionable whether he really would have been a better President than, say, McCain.
If Ron Paul is so irrelevant, why are we still talking about him?
The final straw for me with Ron Paul was his failure to repudiate the endorsement and campaign contributions from the Stormfront types. At that point he had lost all credibility. Neo-Nazi’s and libertarians are polar opposites, however this plays right into the line that kooks like Mike Malloy like to throw about the Right being Nazi’s. Isn’t that cliche that started with Stalin a bit worn out? But then again, the Left is a cliche, albeit a dangerous one at that.
Well, at least he’s not another RINO.
He needs to be primaried.
I actually like that RP doesn’t try to diss his supporters - whoever they might be.
Like I cringe every time Beck talks about how crazy the “birthers” are - why does he have to do that? If someone wants to be a birther - let them. We all have some issue that other’s don’t like.
Distancing oneself from this group or that group - when your not even part of that group - seems like people pleasing to me.
As long as you don’t accept their ideas I am fine with that, and to my knowledge Ron Paul has never accepted or agreed with 1) 9/11 Trutherism, 2) Anti-Semitism, 3) Neo-Nazism, and 4) Conspiracy theories about aliens, and other stupidity!!
Misery loves company!!!
Maybe because his followers are trying to hijack the Tea Party movement making it into something its not. And maybe because they also dig up and post to FR and send viral e-mails with any anti-Palin article they can find. And maybe because they see the win by Scott Brown as a sign that the Republican Party is being reborn and that they see that as a threat.
Folks talk about Genghis Khan and Hitler.
What I dislike are most Ron Paul supporters on the net. Too many of them are conspircy theorists and they hate other conservatives more than they hate the left. They see evil intentions by other conservatives e.g Rush and Hannity.
They also attack other conservative supporters are being too stupid or ignorant if we don’t see things the same way
Ron Paul = Ross Perot
I don't even mind Beck disagreeing with them or stating they are, in his opinion, dead wrong.
But to go on and on making fun of the very idea (when, though I don't follow the issue closely, I know enough to know that Beck seems unaware of what some of the arguments are in the eligibility issue --- it's not simply about being "an American citizen") does seem like he doth protest too much.
Ron Paul degenerated into extremism? Say it ain’t so Joe! But at least his cultists keep me up to date with EVERY new musing of Megan McCain.
Ron Paul on the airline plot : “They’re terrorists because we’re occupiers!”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2417445/posts
Ron Paul: “Theres’s Been A Coup, The CIA Runs Everything”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2433591/posts
Ron Paul “WE NEED TO TAKE OUT THE CIA”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dECSYm5bSM&;
feature=player_embedded
And maybe because the Paul supporters in Texas, along with Democrats, are backing the campaign of Debra Medina (another libertarian) in the GOP primary against Perry and Hutchison. ....Medina is a whacko.
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